1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gas pressure pistol, particularly a sports pistol, comprising a compressed gas container, which is disposed below the barrel and which via a passage that is adapted to be closed by a valve communicates with the rear end of the barrel, also comprising a bolt, which is guided in a housing and is adapted to be retracted from the rear end of the barrel, and a trigger mechanism, which is accommodated in the housing and comprises a trigger lever, which is pivotally movable in a pull-off sense, a trigger blade carried by the trigger lever, a spring which opposes the movement of the trigger lever in the pull-off sense, a sear, which cooperates whith the trigger lever, and a catch lever, which in a catching position interlocks with the sear and is adapted to retain a spring-loaded striker, which serves to actuate the valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a gas pressure pistol is already known (Fernwerkbau, Bedienungsanleitung-Instructions Modell 2). Various adjusting screws are provided in that pistol for different parts of the trigger mechanism so that the pull-off position, the trigger pull weight, and the so-called trigger stop, i.e., the pivotal movement of the trigger lever over the sear, can be changed, as is of special importance with sports pistols. The striker is movably mounted above the trigger lever and has in front of the trigger lever a depending nose, which acts on the valve. As a result, the pivot for the trigger lever is necessarily on a relatively low level.
As the round is discharged, the recoil will result in a torque that is exerted on the shooting arm and causes the axis of the barrel to depart from the target. To minimize that torque, the shooting arm should be held or supported at a short distance from the axis of the barrel. This will reduce also the canting of the shooting arm. It must be borne in mind that a large number of shots must be discharged in close succession in sports competitions and that a premature fatigue of the shooter must be avoided. The hand which holds the shooting arm must also be used to pull the trigger. If the trigger lever and the trigger blade are spaced a relatively large distance apart, as is the case in the known sports pistol because the striker moves over the trigger lever and trigger blade, it will be necessary to hold the shooting arm at a large distance below the barrel axis. On the other hand, the barrel, the hand and the underarm of the shooter should be aligned as exactly as possible when the round is discharged.
In a known device for firing flame cartridges, illuminating and signal ammunition or the like, the trigger lever is pivoted above the firing pin (AT A-307,275). But that device is no pistol in the true meaning of the word but constitutes a barrelless device, in which the trigger lever serves also as a catch lever, which retains the firing pin against spring force and bears on a stop face of the housing. As the trigger lever is moved in the pull-off direction, it is moved away from that stop surface and releases the firing pin, which then acts on the primer cap, which has been screwed to a carrier in the housing of the device. In that case it is not desired to arrange the trigger lever and the trigger blade close to the barrel because there is no barrel at all. Besides, the pivotal axis of the trigger lever could not be arranged below the firing pin because in that case the pivotal movement of the trigger lever would be blocked by the stop surface of the housing. Such a device cannot be compared at all with a sports pistol because the conditions are entirely different and aimed shots are not discharge.